Structural member



R. T. MGGEE` l ug. 1, 1939. V

i STRUCTURAL MEMBER sheets-sheet 1 Filed March 2l, 1936 INVENTOR W, 77k@ A ful/Lw ATToRNEYs R. T. MCGEE;

STRUCTURAL MEMBER Filed March 21, 193:3y

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ffm/@6 W# A'rroRNEY Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED lSTATES PATENT OFFICE STRUCTURAL MEMBER Application March 21, 1936, Serial No. 70,016

5 Claims.

This invention relates to structural members and is more particularly concerned with a structural member of the type adapted for use as studs or joists, which member is fabricated from sheet metal stock.

In accordance with the invention, therefore, a major object is to provide a stud or joist which, in addition to having the advantage of inexpensive manufacture resulting from fabrication from sheet metal stock, has a number of other advantages pointed out more fully hereinafter.

My improved structural member has an unusual degree of rigidity and strength, because of the special formation thereof, in spite of the fact that it is made of sheet metal.

Another object of the invention involves provision of a relatively high degree of strength and rigidity for a given weight. A material saving in metal is therefore effected.

'I'he foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages will be pointed out more fully hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side View, partly in vertical section, of a machine adapted to the fabrication of the structural members of this invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the equipment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a face View of a structural member in accordance with this invention, this view being arranged to illustrate successive steps in the process of manufacture;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View of the member shown in Figure 3, taken on the line 4 4;

Figure 5 is a face View of a modified structural member; and

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

In considering the drawings, reference is rst made to Figures 3 and 4. The right-hand portion of Figure 3 discloses the improved stud in completed form, as does also the sectional view of Figure 4. From these views it will be seen that the improved structural member comprises a web I with marginal flanges 8 forming a channel shape.

The web is provided with apertures 9 having curved corners at one end thereof as at IIl and approximately squared corners II at the other end thereof. These apertures, as clearly seen in the drawings, form cross-ties I2 lying in the plane of the web and extended substantially transverse the longitudinal axis of the channel. At one edge of each of the cross-ties I2 a flange I3 is provided, this being formed of a lip which (Cl. 'l2-115) is bent out of the plane of the web during the process of manufacture ref-erred to herebelow.

I have found that this form of structural member not only provides considerable rigidity for a given Weight, but further may be produced, in ac- 5 cordance with a simple and effective method, from sheet metal stock. In addition, the shape and size of the apertures 9 is such as to readily accommodate piping and wiring which may be disposed within the wall, ceiling or the like in which l0 the improved members are located.

In Figures l and 2 I have illustrated a novel press mechanism adapted to the manufacture of the structural member shown in Figures 3 and 4.

As here seen, the mechanism includes upper and l5 lower press members I4 and I5 adapted to receive a channel blank X fed therethrough, as by means of feed rollers It-I6 and I'I-I'I. The sheet metal stock may, of course, rst be suitably rolled to provide the flanges 8 8 and thereafter the 20 press mechanism operates on the web of the blank X, in accordance with the following.

The lower press member carries a device I8 having apertures I9 therein corresponding in shape to the apertures 9a shown toward the 25 left of Figure 3. rIhe upper press member carries piercing punches of similar configuration adapted to cooperate with the apertures I9 in the device I8 when the press is actuated so as to produce the piercing 9a shown in Figure 3. 30 This piercing, it will be observed, provides a lip ISa toward one end of each aperture 9a and upon a succeeding actuation of the press member I4 the die plates 2I and 23, and the cooperating forming punches 22 and 24, engage the lips I3a 35 and bend them downwardly out of the plane of the web I into the position shown in Figures 3 and 4,

It will be noted that two piercing punches are employed, these being spaced in the direction of feed of the blank through the press mechanism, and further that a corresponding number of pairs of forming punches are also employed, similarly spaced.

In order to provide for proper straight line feed of the blank after the bending of flanges I3, the last one of the forming element (23) is pivotally mounted as at 25 so that as the blank advances, the succeeding bent flange engages and displaces the element 23 about the pivot 25. As 50 soon as a flange I3 has passed and becomes disengaged from. the element 23, the return spring 26 acts to bring the member 23 back into its normal operative position, so that it is ready for the next actuation of the press. In this way a plurality of apertures may be pierced simultaneously and, in addition, a plurality of the lips l3a may be simultaneously bent upon each actuation of the press.

This method of production lends itself readily to the utilization of sheet metal stock in the fabrication of stud of joist elements of the character hereindisclosed.

The ilanging of the cross-ties I2 affords a high degree of rigidity in the structure, per unit of weight, and I have found that these elements are unusually effective and economical in use.

The structural element of Figures 5 and 6, in common with the member shown in Figures 3 and 4, may also be fabricated from sheet metal stock, as by piercing and forming dies. This modified member includes a web 21 and marginal flanges 2E, again forming a channel section, and in the web are provided a plurality of apertures 29, in this instance of substantially triangular shape, alternate apertures being oppositely disposed, so as to produce diagonal cross-ties 30 which alternately extend on opposite diagonals.

It will be noted that the arrangement of Figures 5 and 6 also provides for a flange adjacent an edge of each cross-tie 30. To accomplish this the apertures 29 are preferably flanged as at 3l all the way around. This complete flanging of the triangular apertures provides flanges 0n both sides or" the cross-ties 3B, and in this arrangement I prefer to limit the height of the flanges to only a fraction of the depth of the channel, this being clearly shown in Figure 6, wherein the flanges 28 will be seen to considerably overlie the ilanging 3|.

From the foregoing it will be noted that in both forms of structural members described the element is fabricated from sheet metal stock, and is further of channel shape. In addition, both types of members incorporate cross-ties lying in the plane of the web and of angular cross-section, so as to provide a high degree of rigidity for a given weight of material.

The method and apparatus disclosed herein, for fabricating a structural member, have been presented in my divisional copending application No. 113,571, illed December l, 1936.

I claim:

l. A structural member of the character described, said member being of channel shape and having apertures in the web thereof providing cross-ties extended across the member between the side portions thereof, each of said cross-ties having a bent flange at one edge thereof only, said flange being of substantial width as compared to the width of the cross-tie.

2. A structural member of the character described, said member being of channel shape and having generally squared apertures in the web thereof providing cross-ties extended across the member between the side portions thereof, each of said cross-ties having a bent flange at one edge thereof only, and each cross-tie having a curvature in its other edge only to which a side portion of the member is tangent, said flange projecting from the cross-tie substantially throughout the length of the cross-tie, i. e., said flange being of a length substantially equal to the transverse dimension of the squared apertures in the channel web.

3. A structural member of the character described, said member being of channel shape, having its web apertured to provide cross-ties extended across the member substantially at right angles to its longitudinal axis between the side portions thereof, said cross-ties having a at portion lying in the plane of the web of the member and further being of substantially rightangular cross-section.

4. A sheet metal structural member having bent flanges at its edges providing a channel shape and having a series of spacedsubstantially squared apertures in the web thereof, with crosstes between the apertures extended substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the member, each cross-tie having a bent flange at one edge thereof only, the free edge of which lies in the plane of the free edges of the flanges providing the channel shape.

5. A sheet metal structural member having bent flanges at its edges providing a channel shape and having a series of spaced substantially squared apertures in the web thereof, with crossties between the apertures extended substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the member, each cross-tie having a bent flange at one edge thereof only of a width equal to the channel flanges, and each cross-tie with its bent flange having a substantially right-angular cross-section with one side of the angle lying in the plane of the web and with the other side of the angle projecting from that plane toward the same side of the member as the channel flanges.

RICHARD T. MCGEE. 

